Shahi, Sheida2021-04-012021-04-012021-04-012021-03-29http://hdl.handle.net/10012/16867Adapting existing buildings is complex, but it can reduce the ratio of operating-to-embodied energy and the amount of demolition and construction waste. There has been a growing interest in the adaptation of existing buildings over the past decade as a response to changing environmental conditions and resource depletion. A cohesive perspective on project scope definition, design option assessment, tools and techniques for improving building adaptation is demonstrated. A definition framework is developed first, enabling consistent categorization of building adaptation projects. Then, a decision-making framework is presented for supporting generation, evaluation and selection of multiple conceptually orthogonal design options as a basis for future computational design optimization and detailed design. Lastly, a methodology is developed to improve building adaptation design decision-making by considering multiple environmental and financial parameters, using physics-based simulation tools and decision-making frameworks including multi-attribute utility and interactive multi-objective optimization. The combination of frameworks and methodologies presented in this thesis have been demonstrated to be useful in clarifying building adaptation project scope and definition, and early-stage design and feasibility decision-making. This thesis marks a reference for the future development of interactive and computational tools for improving the proliferation and performance of building adaptation projects.enbuilding adaptationadaptive reusedesign appraisaldesign optimizationphysics-based simulation toolsDoctoral Thesis